DS 
149 


A; 

Ai 

0! 
01 
1  i 

4  = 
31 
3i 

ol 

4  = 
6  = 


BELKIND 

OUR  NATIONAL 
WORK  IN 
PALESTINE 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


ISRAEL  BELKIND 


Our  National  Work 
in  Palestine 


^ 


ISRAEL  BELKIND 


Our  National  Work 
in  Palestine 


>^ 


PINSKI   -  MASSIL     PRiaa 
NEW    YORK 


The  first  of  these  four  articles  was 
pubhshed  in  the  American  Hebrew,  in 
January,  1917.  The  others  in  Jewish 
periodicals.  They  are  now  translated 
and  presented  to  the  English-reading 
Jews  in  consideration  of  the  new  acti- 
vity which  awaits  us  in  our  Beloved 
Land  of  our  Past  and  Future  in  the 
land  of  our  Fathers  and  our  Children. 


THE  SPIRITUAL   CENTER  IN  PALESTINE 

The  recent  great  events  bring  us  nearer  and  nearer 
Palestine,  aiul  we  truly  believe  that  we  shall  see  in  the 
very  near  future  our  long  cherished  hope  realized, — 
our  people  will  rebuild  the  old  home  in  the  land  of 
their  fathers. 

There  Avill  surely  be  many  ^yho  will  ask:  "What 
will  we  gain  by  it?  How  valuable  will  this  land  be  in 
creating  a  new  life  for  our  people?  Then,  again,  it 
seems  incredible  that  the  many  millions  of  Jews  scat- 
tered in  so  many  different  parts  of  the  world  will  all 
find  place  for  themselves  within  the  boundaries  of 
such  a  small  country.  How  great  will  be  its  influence 
on  tlie  Jews  who  will  remain  in  other  countries?  Nor 
can  we  see  the  wonderful  things,  which  our  diplomats 
together  with  those  of  other  nations  have  accom- 
plished.*' In  the  following  lines  we  shall  endeavor 
to  give  a  concrete  answer  to  all  these  questions. 

The  cycle  of  our  history  w'hich  was  completed  a 
short  Avhile  ago  with  the  outbreak  of  the  Russian  Rev- 
olution, is  undoubtedly  one  of  the  most  important 
periods  in  our  historical  life.  It  may  justly  be  con- 
sidered as  great  as  the  other  tAvo  terrible  eras;  the 
destruction  of  our  Temple,  and  the  expulsion  of  the 
Jews  from  Spain. 

It  is  true  that  even  more  than  2,000  years  ago  many 
of  our  people  were  scattered  among  other  nations,  but 
the  bulk  of  the  Jewish  nation  lived  in  Palestine.   Pales- 

3 


I9fif>^n7 


OUR     NATIONAL     WORK     IN     PALESTINE 


tine  was  the  centre,  the  point  towards  which  every- 
body's eyes  were  focused,  the  heart  of  the  entire  na- 
tion. And  therefore  its  influence  was  great  even  on 
those  who  lived  in  other  countries.  Palestine  was 
renowned  for  her  schools  and  colleges,  and  all  those 
who  craved  for  learning  came  there. 

The  Holy  Temple  was  the  symbol  of  the  unity  of 
the  entire  Jewish  nation.  But  soon  came  the  de- 
struction. Thousands  of  Jews  were  slaughtered, 
thousands  driven  into  captivity,  to  be  devoured  by 
wald  beasts  in  the  arenas  of  Rome  and  other  large 
cities. 

Many  others  perished  in  slavery.  The  Holy  Temple, 
too,  was  demoMshed :  and  thus  came  to  an  end  the 
Palestinian  centre. 

The  loss  of  the  centre  was  in  itself  a  greater 
calamity  than  the  devastation  of  the  land  and  the  de- 
struction of  the  Temple.  It  weakened  and  greatly  dis- 
couraged the  people  and  thus  made  the  work  of  the 
founders  of  Christianity  quite  easy.  Their  first  propa- 
ganda was  in  the  localities  where  the  Jewish  exiles  had 
found  refuge,  such  as  Egypt,  Asia  Minor  and  Italy. 
They  knew  how  to  utilize  the  state  of  despair  and  dis- 
couragement among  the  Jews  to  their  advantage.  It 
happened  not  infrequently  that  entire  communities 
became  traitors  to  their  religion  and  to  their  people. 
In  this  manner  the  new  religion  spread,  and  with  it . 
originated  also  the  hatred  of  Jews. 

But  not  all  at  once  and  not  without  a  long,  bitter 
struggle  did  the  ancient  glory  of  the  Jews  perish. 

For  a  certain  length  of  time,  Palestine  was  still 
4 


OUR     NATIONAL     WORK     IN     PALESTINE 


considered  our  centre,  particularly  while  the  "chiefs" 
were  still  in  power  and  while  the  great  college  of 
which  Jochanan  Ben-Zakkai  and  his  followers  were  the 
founders,  was  still  in  existence.  The  Jews  who  were 
left  there,  wath  Bar-Kochba  as  their  leader,  tried  once 
more  to  break  the  chains  of  slavery  and  free  them- 
selves from  the  yoke  of  the  enem3^  But  an  end  was 
soon  put  to  all  their  aspirations.  Only  then  did  Pales- 
tine cease  to  be  a  Jewish  centre.  The  scholars  had  to 
flee  the  Holy  Land  for  fear  of  the  enemy.  They  .set- 
tled in  Babylon,  where  they  hoped  to  continue  the 
educational  work  begun  in  Palestine.  The  Parthians, 
as  well  as  the  Persians,  were  friendly  disposed  to- 
wards the  Jews,  because  they  had  all  been  allied  in 
their  fights  with  the  Romans,  and  accorded  the  ref- 
ugees many  privileges.  Thus  it  bcame  possible  for 
the  Jews  to  lead  the  life  they  had  been  accustomed 
to.  The  Hebrew  scholars  founded  colleges  of  great 
learning  in  Babylon  in  order  to  strengthen  and  fortify 
the  JeAvish  religion,  make  it  capable  of  withstanding 
all  the  adversities  of  the  exile,  and  give  the  Jews 
courage  to  endure  all  the  material  and  spiritual  hard- 
ships and  persecutions  to  w^hich  they  were  subjected 
by  the  mighty  nations  among  whom  they  settled.  And 
so  Babylon  became  and  continued  to  be  the  spiritual 
centre  of  the  Jews,  for  a  period  of  about  500  years. 

We  witnessed  similar  events  during  the  third  period 
of  our  history,  about  500  years  ago.  During  the  Dark 
Ages  the  Jews  were  scattered  all  over  Europe,  but 
the  majority  of  them  lived  in  Spain.  Thanks  to  the 
liberal    Arabian    regime    which    lasted    for    over    700 

5 


OUR     NATIONAL     WORK     IN     PALESTINE 


years,  the  Jewish  communities  had  an  opportunity  to 
develop,  and  Spain  became  a  new  centre  of  Judaism. 

The  Spanish  Jew  exerted  also  a  pronounced  in- 
fluence in' politics,  especially  through  such  representa- 
tives as  Eben  Shaprut,  Samuel  Hanagid,  and  many 
others. 

Their  welfare,  however,  Avas  not  of  long  duration. 
Since  the  end  of  the  fifteenth  century,  for  about  a 
hundred  years  in  succession  the  most  dreadful  perse- 
cution raged  against  the  Jews  in  Spain.  Their  prop- 
erty was  destroyed,  their  wealth  confiscated,  thousands 
of  them  burned  at  the  stake  or  compelled  to  adopt 
Catholicism.  Finally  a  decree  Avas  issued  expelling  all 
the  Jews  from  Spain,  and  later  also  from  Portugal. 

Again  hun.dreds  and  thousands  Avere  slaughtered 
by  the  mob,  incited  against  the  Jcavs  by  the  Catholic 
clergy;  thousands  of  others  adopted  Catholicism  be- 
cause the  unspeakable  sufferings  and  persecutions 
robbed  them  of  their  strength  of  character  and  Aveak- 
ened  their  spirit.  And  thus  the  Jewish  centre  in  Spain 
Avas  entirely  destroyed  because  there  Avere  no  Jews 
left  there. 

The  expulsion  from  Spain  Avas  only  one  act  in 
the  long  drama  of  suffering  and  persecution  that  AA-as 
staged  during  the  Dark  Ages  throughout  Western 
Europe. 

The  persecutions  in  Germany  drove  the  Jgavs  more" 
and  more  eastAvard,  to  Poland,  AA^hich  after  Spain  be- 
came the  next  centre  of  the  Jcavs.  Here  the  Jews 
found  a  broad  field  for  their  activities  and  favorable 
conditions  to  live  under.  Poland  lacked  entirely  a 
6 


OUR     NATIONAL     WORK     IN     PALESTINE 


middle  class,  but  there  was  'a  demand  for  it  and  the 
Jews  therefore  were  welcomed  as  a  class  of  middle- 
men. The  Polish  Kings  protected  them  and  granted 
them  certain  rights.  True,  even  there  they  soon  be- 
gan to  feel  the  animosity  of  the  Catholic  clergy,  but 
having  become  hardened  to  worse  treatment  in  Spain 
and  in  Gergany,  the  persecutions  in  Poland  appeared 
to  them  rather  mild. 

Witliin  a  short  time  Poland  and  later  after  her 
division  by  the  neighboring  states,  Russia,  became  the 
the  division  by  the  neighboring  states,  became  the 
greatest  Jewish  centres  and  have  remained  so  to  this 
day. 

Again  we  see  that  the  events  which  took  place  in 
llie  first  centres  repeat  themselves  elsewhere.  For 
many  different  reasons  Jewish  life  became  unbearable 
in  Russia.  We  felt  as  though  we  were  living  on  the 
crater  of  a  volcano.  Not  a  single  day  passed  during  the 
last  thirty-five  years  but  a  new  restriction  was  imposed 
on  the  Jews.  There  Avas  a  time  Avhen  we  were  in  fear 
of  being  expelled  from  Russia  altogether.  This,  how- 
over,  could  not  have  happened.  Yet  there  were  many 
cases  of  partial  expulsions.  There  was  the  expulsion 
from  Moscow,  expulsions  from  the  villages,  expulsions 
from  many  states  and  cities,  expulsions  from  business 
and  from  different  trades  and  professions  and  also 
from  schools  and  universities.  Expulsions,  nothing  but 
expulsions ! 

«Tewish  massacres  became  an  every  day  occurrence. 
And  we  are  so  accustomed  to  them  now  that  our  heart 
does  not  stir  with  indignation  when  we  hear  of  these 

7 


OUR     NATIONAL     WOEK     IN    PALESTINE 


outrages  on  entire  communities  perpetrated  by  gangs 
of  drunkards  and  degenerates.  No  wonder  that  the 
Russian  Jews  felt  as  though  they  were  "becoming 
paralyzed,  and  degenerated,  and  the  Jewish  centre  as 
a  whole  began  to  show  an  inclination  to  abandon  the 
country. 

During  the  last  thirty  years  about  2,000,000  Jews 
emigrated  from  Russia,  Rumania  and  Galicia.  The 
direction,  however,  which  the  stream  of  emigration 
followed  in  our  days  is  not  the  same  as  before.  In 
the  Middle  Ages  we  were  pressed  towards  the  East; 
now  we  are  driven  westward.  Almost  in  all  the 
large  cities  in  Germany  new  Jewish  communities 
sprung  up,  whose  members  came  from  Russia,  Rou- 
mania  and  Galicia.  An  increase  in  membership  in 
Jewish  communities  is  noticeable  also  in  Switzerland 
and  Belgium.  The  same  is  true  of  France,  particularly 
of  Paris.  A  great  many  of  the  immigrants,  about  200,- 
000  of  them,  settled  in  England,  but  the  greatest  at- 
traction for  them  was  held  out  by  America,  especially 
by  the  United  States,  where  New  York  itself  counts 
about  a  million  and  a  half  of  Jews. 

While  talking  about  Western  Europe  we  must  take 
into  consideration  also  South  Africa  and  Australia, 
where  the  mode  of  life  is  similar  to  that  in  the  West. 

II. 

The  current  of  emigration  increases  more  and  more 
and  our  people  spread  to  all  parts  of  the  globe  and 
we  may  safely  state  that  there  is  hardly  a  place  on 
the  earth  where  Jews  are  not  to  be  found.  But  while 
8 


OUR     NATIONAL     WORK    IN    PALESTINE 


the  Jew  creates  for  himself  new  centres,  has  Judaism 
also  found  new  centres  for  itself?  At  least  one  new 
centre?  Unfortunately,  we  have  but  a  negative  answer 
to  this  question. 

If  we  make  a  study  of  Jewish  life  in  Western 
Europe  and  America  we  shall  soon  come  to  the  con- 
clusion that  there  is  no  hope  for  Judaism  there.  Their 
communal  and  political  life  is  based  on  such  strong 
foundations  that  it  absorbs  every  new  element.  It 
effaces  its  individual  traits  and  forces  it  to  assume 
the  prevalent  shape  and  form. 

When  the  Jews  settled  in  Babylon  their  standard 
of  culture  and  civilization,  was  by  no  means  lower 
than  the  Babylonian,  and  for  this  reason  they  could 
survive  as  Jews  and  did  not  assimilate  with  the  people 
among  whom  they  settled. 

Our  ancestors  who  came  from  Spain  and  Germany 
to  settle  in  Poland,  also  possessed  a  higher  culture  than 
the  natives,  and  therefore  could  retain  their  national 
identity.  And  since  the  process  of  evolution  was  rather 
a  slow  one,  the  Jews  could  lead  an  individual  life  for 
hundreds  of  years  undisturbed.  It  is  an  entirely  dif- 
ferent state  of  affairs  in  our  days :  the  standard  of  cul- 
ture and  civilization  of  the  people  in  the  West  is  a 
great  deal  higher  not  only  than  that  which  the  new 
comers  possess  but  is  also  above  the  culture  of  the 
country  from  whence  they  emigrated.  The  new  element 
coming  in  contact  with  a  stronger  culture  is  by  no 
means  able  to  withstand  its  influence.  The  conse- 
quence is — a  perfect  submission  to  the  new  environ- 
ment, and  within  a  short  time  the  becoming  assimilated 

9 


OUR     NATIONAL     WORK     IN     PALESTINE 


with    the    people    of    the    stronger    culture,    without 
leaving  any  traces  of  themselves. 

The  greatest  tragedy  in  our  situation  is  the  fact 
that  the  higher  the  social  level  of  his  felloAV  citizens 
the  harder  it  becomes  for  the  JeAv  to  exist  as  such. 
While  as  single  individuals  we  welcome  every  step 
which  leads  humanity  tow^ards  progress  and  success, 
as  Jews  we  fear  its  results. 

As  one  of  the  instances  we  shall  cite  the  law  passed 
in  every  civilized  country  to  the  effect  that  each  and 
every   parent   be   compelled   to    send   his   children   to 
school.     How  beautiful,  how  humane  such  a  law  is! 
It  originated  with  the  Jews,  yet  from  the  Jewish  stand- 
point it  is  of  great  harm  to  us.     It  robs  us  of  our 
children.    Our  younger  generation  is  entirely  estranged 
from  Judaism,  from  our  language,  from  our  history, 
in  fact,  from  everything  which  is  dear  and  sacred  to 
us.     It  is  being  brought  up  in  a  new,  strange  atmos- 
phere  which   becomes  part   and   parcel   of  the  young 
generation.     Even   our   own  history  they  study  from 
non-Jewish      books,      in      a      non-Jewish      language, 
and    from    a    non-Jewish    standpoint.     Is    it    surpris- 
ing   then    that    they    look    upon    our    most    important 
historical  events  with  the  eyes  of  strangers?    We  are 
too  weak  to  fight  such  conditions!    Children  who  spend 
practically   the   whole   day   in    the   public   school,   and 
are  taught  so  many  different  subjects,  cannot  find  time 
to  studj^  Hebrew.    The  parents  cannot  think  of  adding 
still  another  subject  to  so  many.     If,  however,  some 
do  so,  there  is  great  danger  that  the  child  will  hate 
Hebrew  because  he  feels  that  it  robs  him  of  his  few 
10 


OUR     NATIONAL     WORK     IN     PALESTINE 


hours  of  recreation  after  school.  No  wonder  that  the 
Jewish  father  is  only  too  happy  when  the  boy  knows 
how  to  read  the  "Prayer  Book"  and  the  "Law"  at 
his  confirmation.  And  usually,  at  the  age  of  thirteen, 
the  Hebrew  education  of  the  boy  ceases.  The  girls  are 
not  given  even  this  meagre  education. 

Such  are  the  conditions  in  Germany,  in  England; 
it  is  a  great  deal  worse  in  France  and  in  Italy;  not 
ver}'  much  better  in  this  country.  We  are  not  speak- 
ing about  exceptional  cases.  You  will  no  doubt  find 
many  exceptions  to  the  rule.  There  are  many  enthus- 
iastic teachers  who  will  ignore  all  obstacles  in  their 
w^ay  and  devote  their  entire  energy  to  spreading 
Hebrew  culture  among  the  various  classes  of  Jewish 
society.  There  are,  too,  many  Jewish  parents  who  try 
their  utmost  to  obtain  for  their  children  a  truly  Jew- 
ish education.  But  the  number  of  these  enthusiasts  is 
very  small. 

Again,  there  is  a  law  prescribing  that  every  person 
must  have  at  least  one  day  of  rest  a  week. 
from  the  humane  standpoint,  we  can't  help  admiring 
this  law,  which  had  its  origin  with  us.  But  we  can- 
not deny  that  this  law,  too,  brings  to  us  a  great  deal 
of  harm.  In  most  countries  the  law  demands  that  the 
day  of  rest  shall  be  Sunday.  And  so  we  are  compelled 
to  choose  either  one  of  the  two :  to  observe  two  days, 
'vhich  means  a  great  economical  loss  to  us ;  or  to  break 
the  Sabbath.  The  majority  cannot  sacrifice  so  much  to 
do  the  first  and  are  compelled  to  resort  to  the  latter. 
Thus  disappears  one  of  our  most  beautiful  institutions 
which  played  such  an  important  part  in  our  life  for 

11 


OVR     NATIONAL     WORK     IN     PALESTINE 


SO  many  years ;  one  of  our  most  fundamental  principles 
which  helped  develop  in  the  Jew  and  in  Judaism  its 
characteristic  traits  and  features. 

Let  us  not  deceive  ourselves:  Sunday  will  never 
hecome  to  us  Jews  what  Saturday  had  been.  The 
sacredness,  the  spiritual  elevation,  the  poetry  with 
which  we  associate  our  day  of  rest  will  never  be  trans- 
mitted to  another  day. 

Let  our  radicals  say  what  they  will,  but  I  still  in- 
sist that  with  the  abolition  of  the  Sabbath  there  will 
be  left  a  great  scar  in  the  soul  of  our  nation.  True, 
it  is  quite  hard  to  solve  these  two  problems  because 
they  come  in  conflict  with  the  laws  of  the  land,  but 
there  are  many  other  problems  which  for  many  social 
and  educational  reasons  we  took  the  liberty  to  solve  by 
ourselves.  So,  for  instance,  we  often  disregard  the 
problem  of  "Kosher"  food  and  many  other  dietary 
laws.  Kosher  meat  is  too  expensive  and  in  some  places 
it  is  very  hard  to  obtain,  because  there  are  only  a  few 
Jews  there  or  because  the  Government  interferes  with 
the  Jewish  laws  of  slaughtering  cattle.  Let  us  also 
not  overlook  the  fact  that  our  Jews  are  great  artists 
in  imitating,  but  it  is  rather  strange  that  for  the  most 
part  they  do  not  necessarily  copy  what  is  best  in  others. 

I  heard  many  complaints  about  the  lives  of  our 
eastern  brethren  in  Paris  from  Jews  who  themselves 
are  not  very  religious.  It  is  strange  that  the  very  same 
Jews  who  in  the  old  country  are  so  pious,  who  used 
to  spend  most  of  their  leisure  time  in  the  synagogue 
and  carry  out  every  law  to  the  letter, — that  these  self- 
same Jews  as  soon  as  they  come  to  Paris  shook  off 
12 


OUR     NATIONAL     WORK     IN    PALESTINE 


their  religious  and  moral  principles,  as  something  un- 
wanted and  superfluous.  You  can  find  them  in  the 
cafes,  in  the  saloons  where  they  spend  a  great  deal  of 
their  time  in  playing  cards;  their  family  life  is  also 
very  far  from  our  pure  Jewish  traditions.  Jt  is  a  fact 
that  they  are  indifferent  to  everything  which  is  con- 
sidered sacred,  to  us  Jews,  and  bring  about  a  state  of 
degeneration  which  in  the  end  leads  to  apostasy  and 
inter-marriage.  Who  can  count  the  great  numbers 
we  have  lost  in  Western  Europe  through  apostasy? 
It  is  a  fact  that  while  in  other  countries  there  is  an 
increase  in  Jewish  population  nothing  of  the  kind  is 
noticed  either  in  France  or  in  Germany. 

The  causes  are  conversion  and  intermarriage.  How 
many  families  of  great  repute  were  lost  to  us  through 
conversions?  In  such  a  way  disappeared  the  families 
of  Cremieux,  Heine.  Mendelsohn  and  many  others.  To- 
gether with  the  people  perished  also  the  Jewish  wealth 
because  in  most  cases  it  is  only  the  millions  which  at- 
tract the  Gentile  to  marry  a  Jewish  girl.  The  parents, 
as  well  as  the  girl,  are  ready  not  only  to  pay  with  their 
good  money,  but  to  sell  even  their  souls  for  the  great 
honor,  which  the  Gentile  confers  on  them,  particularly 
if  he  happens  to  be  of  the  nobility. 

Such  are  the  spiritual  and  moral  conditions  of  the 
Jews  in  Western  Europe,  and  not  much  better  are 
they  in  this  country.  Is  it  surprising  then  that  New 
York  in  which  we  find  today  the  greatest  and  richest 
Jewish  community  in  the  world,  could  not  rise  to  be- 
come a  spiritual  Jewish  centre?  There  is  not  room 
enough  in  a  city  with  such  a  population  for  a  Hebrew 

13 


OUR     NATIONAL     WORK     IN    PALESTINE 


paper  and  the  tAvo  whu'h  are  in  existence  have  had  to 
face  a  struggle  of  life  and  death  from  the  very  first 
days  of  tlieir  appearance,  and  could  not  exist  without 
subsidies. 

The  situation  of  the  Jews  in  the  East  is  approach- 
ing with  gigantic  steps  the  situation  in  the  West.  Its 
tendency  towards  assimilation  was  noticed  among  our 
intellectuals  as  long  as  fifty  years  ago.  Those  intel- 
lectuals looked  upon  Hebrew  as  upon  a  temporary 
necessity  which  had  to  be  tolerated  until  the  mass 
would  master  the  Russian  language.  One  of  our  famous 
poets,  J.  L.  Gordon,  perceives  this  danger  and  the 
cry  of  his  aching  and  wounded  heart  finds  expression 
in  the  following  lines:  "Oh,  who  can  foretell  the 
future,  who  will  inform  me  whether  I  am  not  the  last 
Hebrew  poet?  Who  knows  whether  you,  too,  my 
reader,  are  not  the  last  one." 

It  is  a  fact  that  the  children  of  the  intellectuals 
did  not  know  Hebrew  at  all.  The  children  of  Gordon, 
Smolensky  and  other  great  writers  could  not  read  the 
works  of  their  fathers.  True,  Zionism  brought  back 
many  of  those  gone  astray,  but  the  movement  is  not 
strong  enough  to  influence  the  entire  nation.  The  many 
sufferings  which  our  people  endured  in  Russia  weak- 
ened their  spirit  and  threw  them  into  a  state  of  de- 
spair. The  economical  struggle  is  growing  harder 
from  day  to  day,  and  the  mass  cannot  devote  its  time 
to  ideals.  Hebrew  gives  way  to  Russian;  Hebrew 
literature  is  replaced  by  universal  literature  and  the 
indifference  to  everything  Jewish  becomes  more  and 
more  pronounced.  Russia  is  now  not  what  she  had 
14 


OUR     NATIONAL     WORK     IN    PALESTINE 


been  before.  A  new  life  is  being  born  there,  a  life 
of  freedom  and  happiness.  An  end  has  come  to  the 
Jewish  sufferings  there.  The  Jews,  too,  will  relish 
freedom.*  But  who  can  tell  whether  the  result  of  this 
freedom  will  not  be  the  same  as  in  the  Western  coun- 
tries— /'.  c,  assimilation? 

If  the  Jews  desire  to  exist  as  a  distinct  people, 
if  we  strive  to  maintain  Judaism,  if  we  really  wish  to 
transmit  to  future  generations  all  we  have  inherited 
from  our  ancestors,  we  must  devote  all  our  strength 
and  energy  to  create  a  spiritual  centre  in  Palestine, 
in  the  very  country,  which  has  already  been  our 
spiritual  and  economical  centre  during  the  first  two 
thousand  years  of  our  historical  existence,  and  which 
has  been  our  bright  star  during  the  last  2,000  years; 
the  star  which  lighted  our  way  and  gave  us  courage 
to_  endure  all  the  adversities  and  humiliations  of  the 
long  exile.  There,  and  only  there,  we  must  create 
ihe  Jewish  centre,  the  national  Hebrew  centre,  which 
will  exert  a  strong  influence  and  give  inspiration  to  all 
our  brethren  in  the  lands  where  they  are  scattered. 

This  centre  will  perform  the  same  function  as  does 
the  heart  in  the  human  bodj',  which  sends  the  blood 
coursing  through  the  veins  and  gives  it  vitality.  We 
need  not  prove  here  that  without  the  heart  the  body 
would  decay  and  that,  similarly,  without  a  national 
centre  there  is  no  future  for  a  nation, — it  would  degen- 
erate and  perish  in  the  end.     We  do  not  doubt  that 


*This  article  was  written  before  the  present  Bolshevist 
regime,  and  before  the  outbreak  of  the  pogroms  of  Poland. 
Ukraine  etc.  of  today. 

15 


OUR     NATIONAL     WORK     IN    PALESTINE 


the  creation  of  such  a  centre  would  put  an  end  to 
assimilation,  Avhich  has  long  been  the  greatest  foe  of 
our  people ;  and,  who  knows,  may  perhaps  bring  back 
to  us  all  those  who  went  astray.  "Sight  is  more  ef- 
fective than  imagination,"  said  our  wise  King 
Solomon.  This  proverb  helped  a  great  deal  in  the 
foundation  of  our  modern  pedagogical  science  and  will 
also  assist  us  in  spreading  our  national  ideals. 

When  we  used  to  come  to  a  Western  Jew  and  talk 
to  him  about  Hebrew  culture,  about  the  possibility 
of  conveying  all  our  ideas  and  modern  conceptions  in 
the  language  of  the  prophets,  he  would  not  believe  us. 
He  looked  at  us  as  though  we  were  insane  or  dream- 
ing. .  .  .  And  with  a  scornful  smile  upon  his  lips 
he  would  ask  us:  "Tell  me,  where  is  that  country 
where  Hebrew  is  spoken?  Where  is  the  country  in 
Avhich  Hebrew  culture  is  developed?  Show  me  .the 
country  where  the  Jews  lead  an  independent,  cultured 
life  without  being  assisted  by  others.  Let  me  see  it, 
and  T  will  believe  you."  If  we  could  answer  him  with 
pride  that  a  six  or  seven  day  journey  from  London  or 
Paris  will  bring  him  to  this  wonderful  land,  then 
he,  loo,  will  believe  in  the  Renaissance  of  his  own  peo- 
ple, and  will  not  look  upon  practical  facts  as  if  they 
were  dreams.  The  nationalistic  feeling  which  has  been 
slumbering  in  his  heart  until  now  will  re-awaken  with 
double  strength.  He  will  take  pride  in  the  fact  that 
he.  too,  is  a  son  of  an  ancient  nation,  and  will  not  be 
ashamed  of  his  people  any  longer  when  he  sees  that 
they  lead  a  free,  independent  life  in  their  own  coun- 
try and  are  not  fed  upon  crumbs,  fallen  from  the 
16 


OVR     NATIOXAL     WOKK     IN     PALESTINE 
I 

table  of  strangers.  If  this  Jew  ever  visits  Palestine 
and  sees  in  reality  what  we  now  see  in  imagination,  if 
he  actually  beholds  the  country  where  the  Jews  lead 
a  natural  existence,  a  life  of  honest  labor,  a  life  of 
culture,  when  he  sees  people  who  speak  Hebrew,  wiiose 
schools  and  colleges  are  conducted  in  Hebrew,  people 
who  have  Hebrew  papers,  Hebrew  theatres, — if  he 
sees  all  this, — who  can  tell  what  a  revolution  this  may 
bring  about  in  his  heart?  A  thousand  enthusiastic 
lectures  cannot  do  as  much  ! 

There  are  facts  that  have  proven  to  ns  the  truth- 
fulness of  such  a  statement.  Although  our  nunijljers  in 
Palestine  are  still  very  small,  our  power  there  very 
weak,  our  population  at  present  less  than  100.000  and 
of  those  only  not  more  than  30,000  participating  in  our 
national  work,  nevertheless  we  already  see  a  new  life 
being  born  there.  Hebrew  became  a  living 
language  spoken  by  most  of  the  population.  Even 
foreigners  see  the  necessity  of  learning  Hebrew. 
Dozens  of  Hebrew  schools  spread  the  language  among 
iill  classes  of  society.  But  what  is  esjiecially  im- 
])ortant  is  that  we  can  already  detect  the  influence  of 
this  centre  on  the  Jews  in  the  lands  oF  exile.  W.- 
must  not  overlook  the  great  nuigical  power  that  Pales- 
tine sways  over  the  Jews.  The  things  which  our  small 
jiatif)n;il  army  consist  ing  of  hut  about  oO.OOO  pioneers 
has  accojnplished  is  of  n  '^rv;\\  deal  more  importani^e 
than  the  activitirs  r)f  n  niilliou  Jews  In  Xew  York, 
(/an  you  imagine  what  great,  wonderful  things  we 
eould  have  accomplished  had  we  a  greater  number  of 
I'ur   people    ])articipating    in    our    work?      Is    there    a 

17 


Ill  li     XATIO.Wil.      WORK     IN     PALESTINE 


I'oasoii  ■why  we  could  not  exjject  to  t'uuiKl  a  university 
in  I'alcstiiK'  in  the  near  future?  Or  an  academy  of 
Alts  and  Sciences  and  many  other  im])ortaiit  institu- 
1  ions  .' 

However,  we  do  not  want  you  to  form  the  false  eou- 
(•(^ption  that  all  we  want  is  to  make  Palestine  a  spiritual 
centre,  a  eeuti-e  of  .ludaisni  without  -lews.  This  is  not 
our  intention. 

We  sliall  understand  \'ei'y  well  that  -Judaism  is  as 
closely  connected  with  tlie  Jews  as  the  .soul  is  con- 
nected with  the  body,  as  the  tiame  is  connected  with  the 
candle.  It  is  impossil)le  to  imao;ine  one  without  the 
other.  A  centre  of  -Judaism  without  a  centre  for  the 
Jews  as  well,  is  an  impossibility.  All  those  who  study 
this  problem  can  see  (dearly  that  a  healthy  Jewish 
spiritual  centre  is  the  outgrowth  of  a  healthy  Jewisli 
element.  And  just  as  in  order  to  build  uj)  a  fire  we 
must  add  coal,  so  in  order  to  strengthen  Judaism  in 
Palestine  we  must  first  of  all  strenjrthen  and  build  up 
the  Jewish  material  life  there.  Our  first  activities  Avill 
be  to  strengthen  our  old  positions  in  Palestine  and  also 
to  create  new  ones;  to  increase  the  number  of  colonies 
and  improve  the  conditions  of  the  old  ones;  to  create 
new  industrial  centres;  to  regenerate,  the  inhabitants 
of  the  old  settlement,  the  Jews  who  are  still  living  on 
charity.  And  then,  when  all  this  is  accomplished, 
spiritual  Judaism  will  come  as  a  natural  result  of  a 
healthy  national  life  of  a  people  in  its  own  land. 


18 


LESSONS    DERIVED    FROM    THE    JEWISH 
COLONIZATION  IN  PALESTINE 

The  colonization  of  Palestine  up  to  the  present 
lime  has  been  the  work  of  pioneers.  It  had  to  give 
answers  to  the  two  questions:  Is  Palestine  fit  for  the 
Jews?  Are  the  Jews  fit  for  Palestine? 

There  is  no  doubt  that  in  principle  the  answers  to 
l.oth  questions  are  in  the  alifirmative ;  Palestine  is  suit- 
able for  the  Jews,  and  the  Jews  are  the  right  people 
for  Palestine ;  but  Avhen  we  regard  the  situation  in  de- 
tail we  must  modif}^  both  answers  with  considerable 
"buts." 

Palestine  is  twice  as  large  as  Switzerland,  three 
times  as  large  as  Belgium,  and  once  sustained  a  pojju- 
lation  of  many  millions  of  people,  but  tlie  land  has  been 
laid  waste  during  the  last  fifteen  centuries  i)ecause  of 
the  many  wars  which  were  waged  there.  Her  forests 
and  orchaTxls  are  cut  dowu  ;  her  fields  are  covered  uj)  in 
many  places  by  thick  layers  of  sand;  her  mountains 
are  barren  and  the  rains  have  washed  ott'  the  fruitful 
jioil  in  many  places;  her  cisterns,  water  reservoirs,  and 
conducts  are  destroyed;  her  rivers  ha\-c  become 
marshes  and  Ijrccding  nests  of  malaria.  All  these 
things  must  be  improved,  reclaimed  in  order  to  make 
Palestine  capable  of  sustaining  a  considerable  popula- 
tion. Under  the  present  conditions  the  land  lacks  even 
the  capacity  of  containing  any  considerable  portion 
of  the  Jewish  Nation,  not  to  speak  of  giving  refuge  to 

19 


OVIi     XATlOSALi     WOHK     IX     PALESTINE 

the  entire  people.  In  short,  in  order,  that  Palestine 
nia3'  be  for  the  Jews  what  it  sitould  be,  it  must  be  first 
considerably  improved. 

But  the  same  is  true  of  the  Jewish  Nation ! 

For  fifteen  hundred  j'ears  the  Jews  had  been  torn 
away  from  their  land  and  from  Nature.  I)urin<^  their 
wanderings  in  many  various  lands  they  have  become 
used  to  the  moderately  cold  climate  (Palestine  beloni>s 
to  the  Ijelt  of  moderately  warm  climates).  Thej^  became 
adejit  in  commerce  and  industi'v  and  almost  entirel)' 
alienated  from  agriculture.  Palestine,  however  can- 
not at  once  give  occupation  to  many  industrial  work- 
ers and  merchants.  She  must  first  become  colonized; 
first  there  must  be  established  an  agricultural  laborers' 
class.     And  this  was  the  first  attempt  of  the  pioneers. 

liut  here  we  come  to  a  new  difficulty.  It  is  gen- 
arally  thought  that  all  that  is  necessary  in  order 
to  make  an  agriculturist  of  a  Jew  who  was  born  and 
lived  a  considerable  part  of  his  life  in  a  city  as  a 
merchant,  artisan  or  i)rofessioual,  is  to  have  him  buy 
or  otherwise  get  into  possession  of  some  land  aiul  the 
necessary  appurtenances. 

This  opinion  is  radically  wrong,  as  experience  has 
proven,  and  it  is  time  to  abandon  it. 

Agriculture,  just  as  any  other  occupation,  must  be 
studied,  even  as  one  must  learn  to  be  a  doctor,  engi- 
neer, a  tailor  or  a  shoemaker. 

Nay,  even  more  than  that. 

In  every  trade  there  is  at  the  present  time  a  divi- 
sion of  labor  Avhich  tends  to  make  the  work  much 
easier.  This  system  cannot,  however,  be  applied  to 
20 


OUR     NATION  A  1j     WORK     IN    PALE8TINK 


agriciilhiro.  The  agriculturist  must  be  able  to  do  every 
part  of  Ills  work.  lie  must  be  able  to  plow,  to 
sow,  to  harvest,  etc.  He  must  kiioAv  how  to  plant  all 
kinds  of  fruit-trees  and  vegetables  and  how  to  take 
care  of  them.  He  must  know  how  to  rear  the  cattle 
which  help  him  in  his  work  or  supply  him  with  milk, 
and  how  to  attend  to  his  Cowls,  bees  and  silkworms. 
He  must  know  how  to  use  to  l)est  advantage  every 
part  of  his  hnui,  of  the  nature  around  him,  of  every 
iiKunent  of  his  time.  He  must  also  be  handy  with  the 
axe  and  tlie  liammer  and  other  tools  so  as  not  tr.  have 
to  call  upon  the  artisan  at  every  emergency. 

Then.  too.  in  almost  every  other  industry  the  work 
is  bei'ng  done  indoors,  in  shoj)s  or  factories  specifically 
built  for  the  purposes,  and  the  workers  do  not  de- 
pend very  much  upon  the  weather.  The  agriculturist, 
however,  is  constantly  depoiding  upon  it.  He  must 
be  used  to  the  cold  aiul  the  heal.  Angry  winds  and 
ra'iing  stoi-ins  caiinoi  keep  him  inside  if  lie  has  to  a1- 
tend  to  his  cattle  or  do  sonu^  other  im[)ortant  work. 

There  is  a  tendency  nowadays  to  reduce  the  num- 
ber of  Avorkiug  hours  a  day  in  all  industries.  The  ar- 
tisan and  the  shop  Avorker,  having  Avorked  a  definite 
number  of  hours,  come  home,  and  forget  their  Avork 
and  are  able  to  think  of  other  things.  The  agricult\ir- 
ist  has  not  even  that  privilege.  He  cannot  go  to  sleep 
until  he  has  fed  his  eattle.  he  must  rise  early  in  the 
morning  in  order  to  prei)are  himself  and  his  cattle 
for  Avork.  Tlien  when  the  time  comes  for  soAving  or 
harvesting,  he  must  Avork  AAnth  all  his  strength  and 
certainly  cannot  limit  his  Avork  to  fixed  hours.     Due 

21 


OUR     XATTOXAL     WORK     IN     PALESTINE 


to  all  these  circumstances  agrriculture  is  a  many-sided, 
many-colored  occupation,  very  agreeable,  very  whole- 
some. ])ut  not  easy.  It  takes  a  long  time  until  the 
colonist  gets  the  nocessjiry  knowledge,  until  he  is  able 
to  accommodate  himself  to  the  life  of  the  real  agri- 
culturist. 

All  the  agriculturi.sts  of  tlie  world,  are  accustomed 
to  their  work  l)ecause  their  way  of  liviuig  passes 
as  an  inheritance  from  generation  to  generation.  From 
liieir  childhood  the  farmers  live  and  work  in  their 
own  pei'uliar  way  and  accommodate  themselves  to 
their  surroundings.  I!ui  froiu  whom  could  Jews  inherit 
all   this? 

The  first  colonists  reached  their  goal  by  dint  of 
iheir  great  enthusiasm.  But  there  were  very  many 
who  did  not  have  enough  enthusiasm  or  will-power, 
who  could  not  traverse  the  entire  road,  and  returned 
or  fell  by  the  way.  If  some  of  them  could  not  make 
up  their  minds  to  abandon  their  ideal,  they  could  not, 
liowever.  kce])  their  children  with  them,  and  many  of 
them   went  away,  leaving  their  parents  alone. 

Enthusiasm  is  not  under  our  control,  and  we  can- 
not rely  ui)on  it ! 

The  enthusiasm  of  the  Maccabeans  gave  them  a 
complete  victory  over  the  Greeks,  but  the  enthusiasm 
of  the  last  -lewish  heroes  of  the  times  of  Bar  Giyora  and 
liar  Koi'hha  could  jiot  save  the  Temple  from  destruc- 
tion and  did  not  avert  the  great  disaster  to  the  coun- 
try and  the  Xation.  The  enthusiasm  of  the  Greeks 
saved  them  from  the  Persians,  but  it  failed  later  to 


i)(  li     SATKjSAh      WORK     IN     PALESTINE 


save  them  from  tlie  .Maeedonicins  ;iii<l   later  still   Iruiii 
tlie  Romans. 

It  is  yet  too  early  to  cite  the  example  of  the  <rreal 
World  War.  We  can  only  recollect  that  a  hundred 
and  twenty-five  years  ago  the  French,  due  to  their  en- 
thusiasm, had  vaiHiuished  almost  a'l  European  nations 
which  had  united  against  them,  but  forty-eight  years 
ago  neither  the  proclamation  of  the  Republic  nor  tht 
strains  of  the  ^Marsellaise  were  able  to  save  France 
from  a  terrible  defeat.  A  thousand  Garibaldians  have 
by  their  heroism  created  the  new  United  Italy:  the 
United  Italy  however  does  not  want  to  rely  merely  on 
the  heroism  of  her  soif^.  but  keeps  on  eidarging  and 
strengthening  her  army  and  navy.  Aiul  the  same 
thing  is  being  done  by  all  other  European  Xations,  who 
can  point  to  many  pages  in  their  history,  telling  of 
enthusiasm  and  heroism,  when  their  countries  were  in 
danger.  There  is  no  doubt  that  in  the  future  too,  en- 
thusiasm and  patriotic  spirit  will  j)lay  their  great  part 
in  the  History  of  mankind ;  but  it  is  dangerous  to  rely 
upon  them  alone,  and  just  as  all  luitions  are  preparing 
armies  for  wars,  we  too,  must  ])repare  a  peaceful 
army,  an  army  for  work,  and  only  through  eelucation 
in  schools  established  for  this  ]nir])ose  can  we  create 
such  an  army.  We  need  only  recollect  how  much  im- 
portance was  attached  to  the  education  of  children  by 
the  ancient  nations:  the  ^^partans,  the  Atheneans.  the 
Romans.  We  must  recollect  how  the  children  of  for- 
eign birth,  captured  by  Turkish  danizaris.  were  reared 
by  the  Turks,  and  became  the  nu)st  zealous  warriors 
of  Islam  and  the  Turkish  Empire.     We  must  recollect 


OIK     XATIOX.ll.     Wl>h'l<     L\     l'AljEliTlM<; 
/ 

the  Jewish  "Caiitonists"  of  Russia,  the  feeble  anaemic 
children  who  with  vigorous,  certainly  a  too  vigorous, 
training  grew  up  to  be  strong  and  healthy  as  the 
famous  soldiers  of  Xicbolas  the  First.  We  must  recol- 
lect the  great  sti'iigglc  for  llic  schools  which  is  taking 
place  in  IModoni  European  Society,  and  we  will  be- 
come convinced  that  in  all  times,  under  all  circum- 
stances, it  was  education  which  produced  the  people 
which  were  necessary  to  accomplish  a  specified  ideal. 

Neither  can  our  ideal  be  an  exception;  and  only 
through  education  can  it  obtain  the  men  it  reciuires. 

The  colonizers  arc  already  taking  the  first 
step  in  that  direction.  They  give  preference  to  young 
men,  who  learn  their  work  on  farms,  and  prepare 
themselves  to  become  colonists. 

But,  as  I  pointed  out  before,  it  is  not  sufficient  to 
know  the  Avork  in  order  to  be  a  good  agriculturist. 
One  must  grow  u{)  in  the  atmosphere  of  the  work  and 
be  brought  up  on  the  farm,  and  this  consideration  must 
face  those  Avho  are  interested  in  the  progress  of  the 
"Yishuv"  (colonization).  To  make  the  further  step, 
to  h)ok  for  the  colouizing  material  they  must  look 
not  among  grow  imps.  Ixit  among  young  children,  who 
^^•onld  1)(>  li'aincd  in  llie  i)roper  schools  as  agricnltists. 

It  is  understood  that  there  will  always  be  found 
Jews,  particniaf  young  men.  \\\\^i  will  have  enough 
will-poAvcr  ;ni(i  zr;il  fo  o\ci-h)ok  all  <lifficult  ics,  just 
as  wjis  (h»i)c  hy  the  first  colonisls.  \apohM)ii  said 
that  in  the  kit  of  every  soldier  lies  a  niarslKill's  baton. 
Still  there  were  only  twelve  marshals  in  Napoleon'!? 
army.  And  just  as  every  Jew  can  transform  himself 
24 


OUR     NATIONAL     WORK     IN    PALESTINE 


into  a  good  agriculturist,  the  percentage  of  such  Jews 
cannot  he  very  great. 

Therefore,  if  a  Jew  wants  to  buy  himself  a  farm 
and,  on  his  own  responsibility  to  become  a  farmer  in 
Palestine,  we  wish  him  God  Speed !  But  if  we  want  to 
create  a  normal  class  of  agriculturists,  and  if  we  want 
not  to  incur  too  great  an  expenditure  in  money,  en- 
ergy or  human  sacrifice,  we  must  make  use  of  the  best 
means  which  has  ever  existed — the  training  of  young 
children. 

Just  as  Palestine,  which  has  been  waste  for  fifteen 
centuries,  must  be  now  reclaimed  in  order  that  she  may 
give  what  we  expect  of  her,  so  the  Jewish  nation, 
which  has  become  just  as  desolate  as  its  land,  must 
be  reclaimed  in  order  that  it  may  be  able  to  come 
back  to  life  in  its  land  and  become  what  it  is  destined 
to  be. 

And  training  is  only  effective  in  case  of  children. 
Plastic  childhood  easily  assumes  all  forms.  The  young 
child  who  is  brought  up  under  the  influence  of 
"Mother-Earth,"  will  remain  attached  to  her  forever. 
He  will  not  abandon  her  and  will  fight  vigorously 
against  being  torn  away  from  her. 

The  Russian  poet,  Nekrasoff,  in  one  of  his  songs, 
about  the  children  of  the  village  says: 

Now,  play  little  children,  be  gay  in  j^our  freedom 
This  is  why  childhood  was  given  to  you, 
Forever  to  cherish  your  field  and  to  love  it 
May  it  forever  remain  to  you  dear.     .     .     , 


25 


HOW  TO  PERPETUATE  THE  EMANCIPATION  OF 
THE  JEWS  IN  RUSSIA! 

This  article  will  come  a  little  too  late.  About  three 
or  four  months  afro  the  entire  Jewish  Press  had  taken 
up  this  question  and  then  naturally  was  the  time  for 
me,  too,  to  speak.  For  certain  reasons,  however,  1 
could  not  do  it  then,  but  I  feel  now  like  saying :  it  is 
for  the  best.  During  the  honeymoon  of  the  Russian 
Revolution,  my  words  would  have  been  of  no  avail ; 
I  would  have  been  considered  as  a  mourner  among  so 
many  wedding-guests. 

But  a  few  months  have  already  elapsed.  Many 
horible  massacres  have  broken  out  and  still  more  at- 
tempts have  been  made.  Again  like  "in  the  good  old 
times"  the  Jews  have  been  accused  of  using  Christian 
blood  for  ritual  purposes.  And  our  Mr.  Winaver  who 
can  be  suspected  of  being  an^'thing  but  a  Zionist,  even 
he  came  out  with  a  warning  to  Russian  Jews  to  look 
out  for  a  new  form  of  anti-Semitism,  which  is  in  an 
early  stage  of  development  there. 

The  first  excitement  aild  enthusiasm  have  already 
subsided,  and  we  can  now  make  an  impartial  observa- 
tion of  what  has  taken  place  in  Russia. 

I  wnsh,  however,  to  make  clear  that  I  am  very  far 


')Written  in  the  summer  of  1917,  a  few  months  after  (he 
Russian  Revolution.     Soon  after  it  a  project  was  proposed  in 
the  Press  to  perpetuate  with  a  monument  the  emancipation 
of  the  Jews  in  Russia. 
26 


OVR     NATIONAL     WORK     IN     PALEST  J  JfE 


from  uiiderestimatijig  t]ie  great  happenings  which 
have  taken  place.  As  great  as  that  of  many  other 
Jews,  and  perhaps  still  deeper,  is  my  joy  to  think  of 
the  political  and  social  freedom  which  our  brethren  in 
Russia  have  gained.  My  joy  is  of  a  two-fold  nature : 
I  rejoice  as  a  Jew,  and  as  a  Zionist.  The  Jewish  point 
of  view  is  clear  to  everj-one,  and  does  not  require  any 
explanations.  What  I  want  to  say  is  a  few  words  from 
the  Zionist's  point  of  view. 

For  the  last  35  years  I  have  had  an  excellent  op- 
portunity of  studying-  all  those  who  immigrated  to 
Palestine,  and  after  long  observation,  I  have  come  to 
the  conclusion  that  the  one  w^ho  comes  on  his  own 
accord,  stimulated  by  his  love  for  our  country,  our 
people  and  our  National  work,  is  worth  ten  of  those 
who  come  to  escape  the  Russian  whip  and  fear  of  per- 
secution. 

In  anticipation.  I  especially  dreaded  the  time  after 
the  war.  If  the  Russian  Revolution  had  not  taken 
place,  and  our  brethren  there  had  not  become  freed 
in  that  great  land  of  Tzarism,  hundreds  of  thousands 
would  have  been  compelled  to  leave  Russia  after  the 
war.  A  great  number  of  these  miserable,  ruined 
creatures  would  have  come  to  Palestine  where  under 
present  conditions  it  would  have  been  impossible  for 
so  many  of  them  to  make  even  a  bare  living.  This 
would  have  been  a  great  catastrophe  and  would  have 
endangered  the  entire  Yishub  there. 

Now.  thanks  to  the  Lord,  the  danger  is  over.* 


♦Unfortunately,   our  joy  was   premature. 

27 


OUR     NATIONAL     WORK     IN    PALESTINE 


Tlie  happiness  of  the  Jews  all  over  the  world  was 
eerainly  very  great  at  the  news  of  the  Jewish  Liberation 
in  Russia.  But  just  as  we  should  not  underestimate 
the  value  of  this  freedom,  so  is  it  unadvisable  to  over- 
estimate its  value.  The  Russian  People  broke  its  chains, 
but  did  not  tear  from  its  heart  the  deeply-rooted  hatred 
lo  the  Jews.  On  the  contrary,  the  new  situation  will 
give  fresh  nourishment  to  this  feeling.  For  the  mass, 
the  Jew  is  too  revolutionary;  for  the  extremist  too 
conservative.  Pretty  soon,  Ave  shall  hear  complaints 
that  the  Jew  fills  the  schools,  the  colleges,  monopolizes 
all  the  free  professions,  overcrowds  the  towns  and 
cities.  The  mass  will  make  the  Jew  responsible  for 
all  his  troubles  and  treat  him  accordingly.* 

In  short,  we  may  say  that  the  life  of  the  Jews  in  Rus- 
sia after  a  while  will  not  be  any  better  than  in  any  other 
civilized  country,  as  for  instance,  in  Germany,  France, 
England  and  in  America.  Yes;  they  will  have  rights 
on  paper,  freedom  according  to  the  law  of  the  gov- 
ernment, but  jealousy,  hatred  and  boycott  from  the 
people.  If  then,  the  position  of  the  Jews  in  Russia  will 
not  differ  from  the  position  of  the  Jews  in  any  other 
country  permit  me  to  ask :  why  perpetuate  the  Rus- 
sian Freedom  more  than  any  other?  Did  the  Jews  in 
any  way  at  all  perpetuate  the  emancipation  of  the 
Jews  in  France,  where  they  were  the  very  first  ones 
to  become  freed  after  so  many  years  of  persecution 
and  sufferings?  Did  they  perpetuate  it  in  Germany,  in 
Austria,  or  in  England?     Was  not  the  exultation  and 


*Alas!     How  soon  our  prophecy  has  been  fulfilled! 
28 


OUR     NATIONAL     WORK     IN     PALESTINE 


enthusiasm  there  in  those  days  as  great  as  it  is,  no, 
not  at  present,  but  was  four  months  ago,  in  Russia? 

But  let  us  assume  that  in  former  years  people  did 
not  think  of  doing  it ;  they  did  not  know  enough  then 
to  perpetuate  such  an  important  historical  fact.  Now, 
however,  this  question  has  become  a  part  of  the  day's 
program,  and  we  must  consider  it. 

There  are  two  reasons  why  we  should  perpetuate 
the  Emancipation  of  the  Russian  Jews.  First :  although 
1  believe  that  in  quality  this  historical  fact  does  not 
differ  in  Russia  from  any  other  country,  still  as  far  as 
quantity  of  the  Jews  is  concerned  it  differs  greatly. 
When  all  those  provinces  which  are  now  in  the  hands 
of  the  Germans  will  be  restored  to  Russia,  then  the 
Jewish  population  in  Russia,  besides  Poland,  will  be 
6,000,000,  almost  half  of  all  the  Jews  in  the  entire 
world. 

The  Emancipation  of  the  Jews  in  Russia  will  re- 
flect favorably  upon  the  position  of  the  Jews  through- 
out the  world. 

The  second  motive  is  that  there  are  now  such  people 
who  can  and  are  willing  to  do  it.  When  the  other 
Revolution  took  place,  not  only  in  France,  but  also  in 
Germany,  Austria  and  in  England,  American  Jewry 
was  not  in  existence.  The  Russian  Jewry  was  too 
much  oppressed  and  persecuted  to  even  think  of  such 
things.  Now  thanks  to  the  Lord,  we  have  America 
with  a  great  free  rich  and  powerful  Jewry,  which  is 
able  to  spend  millions  of  dollars  for  something  worth 
while. 

Maybe  it  is  after  all  a  good  plan  to  erect  some- 

29 


OUR     NATIONAL     WORK     IN     PALESTINE 


thing  for  the  perpetuation  of  the  Jewish  Liberty   in 
Russia.     But  what? 

Several  different  plans  have  been  suggested.  Some 
have  proposed  the  building  of  a  Temple  of  Peace  in 
Petrograd,  the  function  of  which  will  be  to  unite  all 
the  difterent  nations  that  inhabit  Russia.  Others  have 
suggested  that  a  copy  of  the  American  Statue  of  Lib- 
erty be  presented  to  Russia.  This  proposition  has  found 
many  supporters,  and  a  sum  of  money  has  already 
been  collected  to  carry  out  this  plan.  There  was  also 
one  who  proposed  that  with  the  consent  of  the  Rabbis, 
the  story  of  the  Liberation  of  the  Russian  Jews  should 
become  a  part  of  the  Hagada  which  we  read  on  Pass- 
over at  the  "Seder."  But,  I  believe  that  to  this  plan  the 
Hagada  itself  will  be  greatly  opposed.  It  is  clearly  stat- 
ed in  the  Hagada :  For  our  emancipation  and  spiritual 
freedom."  As  far  as  political  freedom  is  concerned, 
we  will  surely  have  it  in  Russia,  but  spiritual  and 
moral  freedom — we  are  far  from  it.  The  best  we  can 
do  is  to  make  some  kind  of  a  Purim  Festival  in  order 
to  commemorate  this  fact.  Such  festivals  have  al- 
ready been  introduced  by  many  Jewish  communities. 
But  leave  Passover  in  peace.  A  New  Passover,  A 
future  one,  as  the  Hagada  calls  it,  we  shall  celebrate 
when  we  will  actually  become  delivered  from  all  our 
troubles.  We — that  means  all  the  Jews — when  we  will 
become  a  nation  equal  to  other  nations  on  our  own 
soil,  when  we  will  free  ourselves  from  the  Goluth  in 
all  its  different  forms,  then  we  will  celebrate  this  new 
Passover  in  our  own  country.  The  statement 
"Spiritual  Freedom"  will  help  us  to  solve  the  prob- 
30 


OUR     NATIONAL     WORK     IN     PALESTINE 


lems  which  is  of  great  interest  to  us  now. 

There  is  not  the  slightest  doubt  that  all  those  who 
want  to  participate  in  the  perpetuation  of  the  Jewish 
freedom  in  Russia  are  all  nationalistically  inclined, 
l;ecause  those  who  are  inclined  towards  assimilation 
do  not  want  even  the  name  of  the  Jew  to  be  mentioned. 
What  thej^  want  is  that  the  entire  world  together  with 
themselves  should  forget  about  the  existence  of  the 
Jew.  It  is  against  their  principles  to  come  out  in  the 
open  in  the  eyes  of  the  entire  Gentile  world  and  all 
b}'  themselves  erect  a  monument  for  the  commemora- 
tion of  the  Jewish  Freedom.  This  can  be  the  desire 
of  faithful  nationalists  only.  And  these  nationalists 
must  first  of  all  desire  that  the  Jew  should  continue 
his  national  activities,  should  not  be  compelled  to 
leave  the  historical  stage,  should  not  perish,  or  become 
assimilated  among  other  nations. 

Xow  we  come  to  the  most  important  question. 
The  founder  of  our  nation,  Moses,  lived  for  120  j'ears, 
and  was  as  strong  and  healthy  in  his  old  age  as  a 
young  man.  According  to  the  Hagada,  the  Angel  of 
Death  with  all  his  subordinates  could  not  take  his 
soul.  But  he  had  to  die  as  all  mortals  do,  and  God 
wanted  him  to  die  before  the  Jews  entered  Palestine, 
so  God  took  his  soul  with  a  kiss.  Since  then  it  has  be- 
come a  known  fact,  that  the  Angel  of  Death  has  no  in- 
fluence over  the  Jew,  but  you  can  quite  easily  get  his 
soul  with  a  kiss.  This  fact  becomes  plain  to  us  when  we 
look  over  the  history  of  the  Jews  for  the  last  2,000 
years.  There  was  a  great  powerful  rich  community 
in  Egypt  at  the  time  of  the  Second  Temple.    Where  is 

31 


OUR     NATIONAL     WORK     IN    PALESTINE 


this  communit.y,  which  created  a  man  like  Philon? 
Already  in  the  next  generation,  his  nephew  became 
an  idol-worshipper  and  helped  Titus  to  destroy  Jeru- 
saem.  Where  is  the  Jewish  aristocracy  of  Spain? 
Only  the  poor  and  a  small  number  of  the  rich  left 
the  country;  all  others  accepted  Catholicism  either 
in  pretense  (Maranes),  or  in  reality.  Of  those  Maranes 
only  a  small  number  survived,  the  others  yielded  to 
their  fate  and  also  became  Catholics.  Where  are  the 
I^Vench  Jews?  Where  are  the  descendants  of  Rashi? 
the  children  of  Cremieux?  Where  are  the  German 
Jews?  The  cTiildren  of  Moses  Mendelsohn?  Where 
are  the  Italian  Jews?  Did  not  our  national  poet  as  we 
have  noted  in  the  first  article  in  Russia  Jehudah 
Leib  Gordon,  bewail  this  fact  already  fifty 
years  ago?  Did  he  not  express  his  fear  in  one  of  his 
most  beautiful  poems,  "Who  can  tell  me  if  I  am  not 
the  last  Hebrew  Poet  and  if  you  are  not  the  last  He- 
brew reader."  The  sufiferings  and  persecutions  on 
one  hand,  and  the  strong  national  movement  on  the 
other,  gave  a  different  direction  to  the  Jewish  life  in 
Russia.  But  now  when  the  real  cause  of  persecution 
of  the  Jews  is  abolished,  and  the  Russian  Jew  received 
the  kiss,  do  we  not  have  to  fear  that  in  exchange  for 
it,  they  will  give  away  their  souls?  It  is  a  fact,  that 
many  of  them  will  surely  do  so. 

But  let  us  not  talk  about  Russia.  Let  us  do  the 
way  the  writers  used  to  do  at  the  time  of  the  censor- 
ship. Let  us  talk  about  Roumania.  One's  heart  bleeds 
when  one  reads  about  the  terrible  persecutions,  which 
the  Jews  have  endured  there.  We  are  waiting  with 
32 


OVR     NATIONAL     WORK     IN    PALESTINE 


impatience  for  the  happy  day  when  the  Roumanian 
Government  will  willingly  or  unwillingly  give  recog- 
nition to  her  Jews  and  begin  to  treat  them  in  a  hu- 
mane way.  You  will  then  see  how  proud  the  Rouman- 
ian Jew  will  have  become  of  the  fact  that  he  is  a 
Roumanian.  He  will  then  try  his  very  .best  to  prove 
that  he  is  a  direct  descendant  of  the  Roumanian  sol- 
diers, who  were  settled  in  the  Danube  section  by  the 
Roman  Emperor  Trajan.  Then  the  Jewish  Nation  will 
surely  lose  a  great  number  of  her  sons  and  daughters. 
Will  the  world  at  large  gain  by  the  fact  that  a  number 
of  the  children  of  an  ancient  cultured  nation  have  reach 
such  a  state  of  degradation?  They  will  have  become 
assimilated  into  a  people  of  no  importance  whatsoever ; 
one  of  the  most  barbarous  people  of  Europe  and  as 
our  poet,  Goldfaden  has  expressed  it:  "He  will  sell 
his  Torah,  his  history  and  his  entire  wonderful 
'Yichus'  for  a  saloon  license." 

There  are  many  times  when  I  ask  myself:  what 
I  wish  for?  Would  I  rather  have  the  Roumanian 
Jew  go  on  suffering  and  being  persecuted,  but  at  the 
same  time  remain  a  Jew,  remain  my  brother;  or  that  all 
these  sufferings  and  persecutions  should  come  to  an 
end,  but  with  it  the  Jew  there  should  also  cease  to 
exist?  This  is  one  of  the  most  terrible  tragedies  for 
which  we  ought  to  thank  our  long  Golutli. 

The  only  remedy  to  oppose  the  kiss,  or  rather,  its 
influence  is  a  strongly  nationalistic  feeling.  When  we 
now  see  the  many  Jews  coming  back  to  their  people ; 
when  we  observe  the  strongly  national  tendency  in  Rus- 
sia, may  it  express  itself  in  any  shape  or  form:  Zion- 

33 


OVR     NATIONAL     WORK     IN     PALESTINE 


ism  or  territotialism  or  in  the  nationalism  of  Dubnotf 
and  his  foHowers — all  tliese  isms  are  due  to  the  great 
nationalistic  movement  which  originated  35  years  ago 
and  expressed  itself  in  the  settlement  of  the  colonies 
in  Eretz  Israel,  and  in  the  rejuvenation  of  the  Hebrew 
culture  and  the  Hebrew  language. 

The  person  who  is  interested  with  his  heart  and 
soul  that  the  Jew  continue  his  existence  and  continue 
to  act  as  a  distinct  people ;  the  person  who  craves 
that  the  Jew  should  keep  on  creating  a  better  life  for 
himself,  such  a  person  will  do  all  that  is  in  hiy 
{)ower  that  the  national  movement  should  not  die  away, 
but  on  the  contrary  should  become  more  and  more 
powerful  and  become  of  some  benefit  to  our  bretbren 
in  the  lands  of  their  exile.  But  in  order  to  give  to 
this  movement  enough  strength,  it  must  assume  a  con- 
crete shape,  it  must  go  hand  in  hand  with  the  Yishub 
in  Eretz  Israel  and  help  to  create  new  settlements.  It 
is  a  known  fact  that  every  step  w^e  make  in  Eretz 
Israel,  every  new  colony  which  is  created  makes  a 
pow^erful  impression  upon  the  Jewish  world,  and  acts 
as  an  Elixir  of  Life  upon  the  deadened  limbs  of  our 
people.  But  in  order  to  build  new  colonies  we  must 
have  the  fittest  human  material.  The  work  of  35  years 
gave  us  not  only  a  great  number  of  Jewish  colonists 
and  laborers,  but  also  a  great  deal  of  knowledge  and 
experience.  These  35  years  show^ed  us  the  great  dif- 
ficulty of  this  gigantic  undertaking. 

The  Jew  as  already  demonstrated  in  the  previous 
articles  had  been  torn  away  from  nature  for  over 
2,000  years.     The  Jew  is  a  typical  city  man  and  it  is 


OUR     NATIONAL     WORK     IN    PALESTINE 


very  hard  for  him  to  adapt  himself  to  the  life  of  a 
farmer  and  colonist.  We  must  not  forget  that  in  our 
days  even  those  who  were  born  and  brought  up  on  the 
farms  when  they  grow  older  leave  the  farm  and  set- 
tle in  the  cities.  This  fact  shows  ns  how  ditificult  it  is 
for  a  city-man  to  return  to  farm-life.  We  say,  there- 
fore, that  in  order  to  get  the  fittest  human  material, 
people  who  can  adapt  themselves  wdth  the  least  sacri- 
fices, with  the  least  effort  and  money,  w^e  must  go  back 
to  the  old  trodden  path,  to  the  old  experiment — of 
education  and  bringing  up.  The  entire  history  of  the 
world  will  assist  us  in  proving  that  education  always 
gave  to  mankind  those  people  who  were  Avanted  by 
her. 

Now  we  come  to  the  climax  of  our  problem.  This 
Tf'rrible  war  has  already  made  and  will  yet  create  a 
still  greater  number  of  orphans.  Some  count  them  al- 
ready as  many  as  50,000.  But  who  can  fortell  what 
the  number  of  these  unfortunates  will  be  the  day  after 
the  war  will  cease?  A  sacred  duty  is  imposed  upon 
the  entire  Jewish  nation,  that  of  earing  for  these  or- 
phans. But  Avho  is  going  to  do  it,  and  how?  Hun- 
c'reds  of  Jewish  communities  lie  in  ruins.  Even  those 
communities  which  have  not  been  directly  destroyed 
by  the  Avar  have  also  suffered  enough  and  will  have 
their  hands  full  before  they  will  succeed  in  adjusting 
their  own  aff'airs.  Let  us  suppose  for  a  minute,  that 
Ihey  will  succeed  even  in  interesting  the  entire  Jewish 
^>rrlf^  in  the  w^elfare  of  all  those  unfortunate  children, 
even  then,  America  is  expected  to  do  the  greatest  share 
in  this  w^ork.     But  what  should  be  done? 

35 


OUR     NATIONAL     WORK     IN    PALESTINE 


It  is  no  doubt,  that  all  these  starved  youngsters, 
who  saw  death  face  to  face  more  than  once,  are  phy- 
sically as  well  as  mental  wrecks.  In  order  to  bring 
these  c'hildren  to  a  healthy  normal  condition,  we  must 
take  them  out  into  the  open  country,  provide  for  them 
enough  fresh  air  and  nourishment.  Would  not  a  farm 
in  Eretz  Israel  be  the  fittest  place  for  them?  Do  you 
not  think  that  to  teach  them  agriculture  would  mean 
to  prepare  them  for  life  with  a  good  future  as  farmers 
in  Eretz  Israel? 

We  shall  have  a  double  gain  by  solving  this  diffi- 
cult problem  in  this  manner :  we  shall  not  only  save  all 
these  thousands  of  children  from  starvation  and  perish, 
but  we  shall  also  render  a  wonderful  support  to  our 
national  work  at  the  same  time;  we  shall  in  that  way 
assist  in  the  restoration  of  the  Jew  to  his  Fatherland. 
Besides,  the  great  interest  we  Jews  will  all  take  in 
these  children  will  serve  as  a  pledge  or  guarantee,  that 
the  kiss  whic'h  the  Russian  Jews  have  just  now  re- 
ceived from  history  shall  not  become  a  fatal  one,  but 
on  the  contrary  will  stimulate  them  to  a  new,  free  life; 
the  orphans  who  will  belong  to  the  entire  nation  will 
serve  us  as  a  security  that  the  Jewish  Nation  will 
not  perish,  will  not  disapper  among  other  stronger 
nations,  but  will  continue  its  historic  existence,  its 
national  activities  in  the  direction  of  general  civiliza- 
tion. 


36 


Kiriath  Sefer 

Kiriath  Sefer  is  the  institution  called  upon  to  solve 
these  problems,  Avhich  Avere  mentioned  in  the  last  two 
articles.  This  institution  will  realize  all  those  ideals 
already  mentioned.  Kiriath  Sefer  wants  to  be  the 
pioneer  on  the  road  of  the  noble  work  of  bringing  up 
young  children,  boj's  and  girls  to  become  good  faith- 
ful Jews  and  able  farmers. 

K.  S.  is  considered  an  agricultural  school.  In  realty, 
however,  it  is  a  large  ideal  family,  where  all  the  mem- 
bers lead  the  same  kind  of  life  and  strive  towards  the 
same  goal. 

A  few  points  about  the  plan  and  system  of  the 
school  will  give  a  clear  view  of  it. 

(1)  The  aim  of  Kiriath  Sefer  is  to  give  to  the 
students  a  pure  Jewish  Nationalistic  bring-up  and  to  fit 
them  to  become  useful  Avorkers  and  able  farmers. 

(2)  Children  of  hoth  sexes  between  the  age  of 
10  and  12  who  are  physically  and  mentally  developed 
and  who  know  at  least  to  read  and  write  He'brew  are 
admitted  into  the  school. 

(3)  The  curriculum  is  subdivided  into  two  stages. 
The  first  consists  of  a  course  of  3  years  devoted  to 
study.  The  Hebrew  language  is  taught.  Holy  Writ. 
and  parts  of  the  Mishna  and  Talmud  are  studied,  as 
are  Jewish  as  well  as  general  history  and  geography. 
Special  attention  is  given  to  the  geography  of  Pales- 
tine.   Arithmetic,  bookkeeping  and  natural  science,  as 

37 


OUR     NAriOXAL     WOKK     IN     PALESTINE 


6 

much  as  it  is  necessary  for  their  occupation  are  also 
taufrht,  as  well  as  music,  singing,  gymnastics,  etc. 

The  pupils  study  four  hours  daily j  the  rest  of  the 
time  they  occupy  themselves  with  light  farm  Avork. 

When  the  students  complete  this  course,  they  are 
promoted  into  the  next  stage,  at  the  age  of  18-15.  Here 
they  devote  most  of  their  time  to  work.  They  are  oc- 
cupied the  entire  day  and  get  instructions  only  dur- 
ing the  evenings  or  during  the  days  of  rest,  in  order 
to  complete  the  necessary  requirements. 

The  work  consists  mainly  of  agriculture  in  all  its 
different  branches.  They  plough,  plant,  reap  and 
thresh.  They  plant  vines,  almond  trees,  olive  trees, 
orange  trees,  and  many  other  fruit-bearing  trees.  They 
Avork  in  vegetable  gardens,  are  engaged  in  cattle 
breeding,  dairy  work,  poultry  raising,  bee  raising ;  the 
silk-worm  raising  industry,  etc. 

On  those  da^'s  when  there  is  nothing  to  do  in  the 
field  or  in  the  garden  the  children  occupy  themselves 
with  different  industries;  woodworking,  metal-work- 
ing, etc.  The  purpose  of  this  is  not  to  make  tradesmen 
of  them,  but  to  give  them  a  little  knowledge  of  every- 
thing, so  that  when  the  need  arises  they  will  not  be 
helpless. 

The  mode  of  life  is  in  accordance  with  the  Jewish 
laws  and  regulations.  They  lead  the  life  of  a  large 
family  in  which  the  teachers  and  leaders  are  the  big 
brothers  and  sisters.  The  different  entertainments 
given  at  the  school  such  as  frolicking  in  the  open  fields, 
outings  Avith  the  teacliers  or  musical  recitals  and  plays 
given  frequently, — make  the  life  in  the  school  very 
38 


OUR     ^'ATIONAL     WORK     IN     PALESTINE 


pleasant  and  the  children  feel  in  their  own  home. 

The  language  used  at  the  time  of  study,  play  or 
rest — is  Hebrew  only. 

The  resources  of  the  school.  The  income  consists 
of:  ^ 

1.  Tuition  fees  which  either  the  parents  or  rela- 
tives of  the  child  pay. 

2.  Money  brought  in  from  sale  of  products  or  la- 
bor of  children. 

3.  Support  received  from  foreign  societies  and 
private  persons.  This  money  goes  towards  the  tuition 
of  the  poor.  Tuition  is  paid  only  during  the  first  3-4 
years  and  consists  in  total  of  the  sum  of  $500  or 
Fr.  2500.  Money  is  paid  only  for  the  first  stage  when 
the  child  spends  most  of  his  time  studying;  in  the  last 
lage,  however,  hi  Avork  at  school  makes  up  for  his 
tuition. 

The  future  of  students:  Students  are  allowed  to 
remain  as  laborers  at  school  until  the  age  of  20-21. 
During  these  years  they  accumulate  a  great  deal  of 
knowledge  and  become  verj-  experienced  farmers.  It 
is  also  possible  that  some  should  save  up  a  few  dollars. 
In  such  a  waj^  these  students  will  be  the  best  candi- 
dates for  the  colonization  of  Palestine.  There  is  no 
doubt,  that  if  any  colonization  work  will  be  undertaken 
l)y  the  National  Fund,  or  the  J.  C.  A.  these  students  will 
be  considered  as  the  most  fit  ones  to  work  ■with. 

Without  taking  the  direct  responsibility,  the  school 
provides  also  for  the  future  of  its  students.  A  great 
deal  has  alreadv  been  done  in  this  direction. 


39 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 

Los  Angeles 
This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below. 


UOilii  ^'" 


9). 


IUN2  1 


eti- 


Form  L9-Series4939 


L  006  012  289  2 


001  433  046 


^,0: 


,.m 


